A specific problem that faces that criminal justice system is child exploitation in the age of technology. Child exploitation is a crime that has existed for millennia, but since technology has developed, the crime has grown exponentially. Traditionally a predator would have to target a family member or someone in the community as their pool of targets was relatively limited. However, the advancement of technology has made it easier for predators to not only collect and share paraphernalia, but it has also created a new pool of potential victims.
To begin with, the definition of child pornography must be understood so the extent of how technology can contribute to its production can be understood. Child pornography is defined as:
“A visual …show more content…
In one case study, a 53-year old woman discussed the sexual abuse and exploitation she experienced. The woman was sexually abused starting at the age of two by her maternal males relatives, including her grandfather who was suspected to also be her father due to an incestuous relationship. When the woman was seven she was exploited by her grandfather and uncles; shown pornography, prostituted to a network of predators, and was used in the making of child pornography that was sold by her grandfather (Itzin, 36). The woman’s story is similar to countless victims’ stories who report being sexually abused and exploited as children. The case study also relates to the research, which shows a connection between offenders of interfamilial sexual abuse and extrafamilial sexual …show more content…
People that participate in child sexual abuse and exploitation are generally able to organize and plan out the abuse by utilizing multiple methods, such as coercion, using pornography to normalize the actions to the victim, and the use of violence (Itzin, 41). This shows the offenders ability to weight he cost/benefit of their actions in choosing their victims, primarily if the initial target is a child related to the offender. While it does not seem to be the definite reason, it seems logical to speculate that offenders will begin with a lost risk victim, such as a family member. In cases of rape, it is in the best interests of the rapist to offender someone known to them, primarily a family member as the risk of discovery is relatively low (Vaughan, 124). There is a similar situation as in many cases family members are not aware of the sexual abuse happening within a family (Itzin, 36). When offenders sexual abuse or exploit extrafamilial children, there are benefits of the act as incest is not involved and access can be easy, but there is an increased risk of being caught (Vaughan, 124). The idea may be proposed that exploiters will begin and practice their crime on more controllable targets and progressively move to riskier
To begin with, the definition of child pornography must be understood so the extent of how technology can contribute to its production can be understood. Child pornography is defined as:
“A visual …show more content…
In one case study, a 53-year old woman discussed the sexual abuse and exploitation she experienced. The woman was sexually abused starting at the age of two by her maternal males relatives, including her grandfather who was suspected to also be her father due to an incestuous relationship. When the woman was seven she was exploited by her grandfather and uncles; shown pornography, prostituted to a network of predators, and was used in the making of child pornography that was sold by her grandfather (Itzin, 36). The woman’s story is similar to countless victims’ stories who report being sexually abused and exploited as children. The case study also relates to the research, which shows a connection between offenders of interfamilial sexual abuse and extrafamilial sexual …show more content…
People that participate in child sexual abuse and exploitation are generally able to organize and plan out the abuse by utilizing multiple methods, such as coercion, using pornography to normalize the actions to the victim, and the use of violence (Itzin, 41). This shows the offenders ability to weight he cost/benefit of their actions in choosing their victims, primarily if the initial target is a child related to the offender. While it does not seem to be the definite reason, it seems logical to speculate that offenders will begin with a lost risk victim, such as a family member. In cases of rape, it is in the best interests of the rapist to offender someone known to them, primarily a family member as the risk of discovery is relatively low (Vaughan, 124). There is a similar situation as in many cases family members are not aware of the sexual abuse happening within a family (Itzin, 36). When offenders sexual abuse or exploit extrafamilial children, there are benefits of the act as incest is not involved and access can be easy, but there is an increased risk of being caught (Vaughan, 124). The idea may be proposed that exploiters will begin and practice their crime on more controllable targets and progressively move to riskier